Chapter 12
Sera
“So, where’s Hades?” Alina asks me, her voice whisper-soft as she checks on Morpheus again with her eyes.
He said he would be napping over there.
I don’t believe him.
But he does seem to be trying to give me and my sister some privacy, which I appreciate.
“Morpheus said he’s in the death world,” I tell Alina. “I guess he’s trying to find King Onyx?” I phrase it as a question, as I don’t really understand what happened other than what Morpheus mentioned during breakfast.
He told me there were a few casualties as a result of the Mythos Fae Alphas rutting through the Netherworld Kingdom in their search for me. And unfortunately, King Onyx was one of those casualties.
“Apparently, the Hell Fae King demanded that he retrieve the souls,” I go on, my brow furrowing. “I don’t know what that entails, but Morpheus mentioned it would not be a quick process.”
Alina nods. “Erm, I suppose that’s good. It gives you a break from his arrogant assumptions and means he can’t force you to mate him.”
I wince, aware from my sister’s tone that she’s not pleased at all by Hades’s claim. However… “My soul is already mated to him,” I say softly. “So I’m not sure if that qualifies as being forced since it’s already, well, true.”
She scowls. “You are not his. I don’t care what he says. You’re your own person.”
“I am,” I agree. “And I think he’s starting to understand that part.” Or that’s how it felt after our discussion in the shower the other day. “He also said he wasn’t going to mark me due to a misguided obligation,” I add. “So I don’t think you need to worry about him forcing a mating on me.”
Her brow creases. “What did he mean by that? Misguided obligation?”
“I’m not sure,” I admit. “But the Alphas are hunting me because I’m unclaimed, right? So I told him to just fix it. And that was his response.”
Alina’s frown intensifies. “Oh.” Her nose crinkles. “Okay, well, I think that’s good, then. He’s saying he wants your consent.”
I lift a shoulder. “I guess. But he had no trouble trying to force me to marry him.” Though, he did say that was when he thought I possessed his mate’s memories.
And it was a game to him.
“Well, I think he kind of apologized for that,” I go on, my lips twisting for a beat. “Sort of. In his own way.” Does Hades even apologize? I’m not sure. He seems a little too intimidating to actually voice the words.
But that’s neither here nor there.
What I really want is to ask my sister about being an Omega, since apparently my soul has awakened.
Which has me wondering… “Do you really not remember anything from our previous life? Like, your soul’s life, I mean?”
She blinks, the only indication that my abrupt subject change caught her off guard. But she quickly recovers as she shakes her head. “I have no memories apart from my own. Why? Are you starting to remember things?”
“I don’t think so, no. Well, except…” I trail off, then shake my head.
Because I don’t want to talk about my dreams with her. They’re all about Hades and mostly sexual in nature. Which… doesn’t really tell me much. Who knows if those fantasies are even true or if they were just my soul’s way of trying to coax me back to him?
“Nothing relevant, I mean,” I mutter. “I still feel like me, too. But they said I set off a beacon that signifies I’m about to go into heat. Did you do that?”
“Not that I know of,” she says slowly. “But Orcus said it could be because I wasn’t in the right dimension at the time. Or maybe because he had already started the process of claiming me. We’re not really sure.”
I swallow and nod. “And did you feel any different?” I ask.
“Uh, well, not until my heat actually hit. Up until then, all I felt was, er, interested, I guess.”
“Interested?” I echo.
“You know… in Reaper, Orcus, and Flame.” She blushes. “Sorry, that’s… that’s not appropriate.”
I huff a breath. “In our former world, yeah. But you should hear some of the things the fae talk about at Death’s Den.
” I learned a lot about what’s appropriate in the fae world during my short time as a bartender.
It often made me uncomfortable. But I’m thankful for the exposure.
I think… I think in some way it helped prepare me for being on my own.
Except, I suppose, it was a waste of time.
Because I’ll never be on my own as an Omega.
“But you really didn’t feel any different otherwise?” I press, hung up on that aspect. Because part of me is hoping that not feeling different may mean Morpheus and Hades are wrong about my impending heat.
However, a little shake of my sister’s head says it’s a lost hope.
“Okay, then can you tell me what I should expect?” I ask. “Without sharing too much, I mean. I just… I want to know how to prepare. Or, I guess… What does going into heat actually mean?”
I understand the concept, but not what it’ll do to me.
I’m about to clarify what I mean when Alina says, “It’s both terrifying and amazing. You’re going to basically lose your mind with… with lust. And your mates will see you through it.”
My lips curl down. “Except I don’t have any mates.”
“Maybe not yet,” she hedges. “But it seems like Maliki is interested.” She peeks over at Morpheus—who still has his eyes closed—and whispers, “And maybe him, too.”
I lean toward her. “So you approve of Morpheus more than Hades?” I ask, incredulous.
She frowns. “I never said I didn’t approve of Hades. I just… I don’t approve of him trying to force you into a marriage or mating.”
Well, she’s not wrong to feel that way. I didn’t exactly approve either.
Sighing, I collapse into my chair and pick up one of the drinks on the table between us. It’s pink and has a straw. I take a sip and find it’s actually pretty good. Like a frosty strawberry drink.
Alina chooses one that’s pale in color and has a pineapple wedged on top of it. The way her eyes round tells me she approves of the flavor, so we both swap without a word to try each other’s drinks.
“What are these?” Alina asks, taking the question right out of my head.
“A strawberry daiquiri and a pina colada,” Morpheus says, his voice holding a sleepy quality to it. “They’re virgins, though, as I wasn’t sure how Serapina would react to human alcohol.”
I shiver as he says virgins because I’m definitely that. But I soon realize he meant the drinks. Which… okay. I don’t understand that term being applied to a fruit smoothie, but maybe it’s a faeism I haven’t heard yet. I’ve only ever worked at Death’s Den, and we certainly didn’t serve fruit there.
“They’re really good,” Alina tells him. “Thank you.”
His lips lift upward with a ghost of a smile. “Just let me know if you would like more.” His grin disappears, and he pretends to sleep once more.
I study his profile, noting the way the sun plays off his defined features, and trail the rays down his muscular form. He’s been very forthcoming with me, answering every question I ask, all while exuding a patience I respect and admire.
Very different from Hades. Even Maliki.
Yet all three of them make me feel safe in their own ways.
“Do you have any advice for my heat?” I ask Alina, my gaze still on Morpheus. “Anything I should prepare for?” I frown and look at her. “Is it going to hurt?”
“I, er…” She clears her throat. “Yes and no?”
My eyes widen.
“I mean, it’ll probably be, erm, intense at first. But you’ll end up enjoying it.
A lot.” Her cheeks flush. “Sorry, I don’t…
I don’t know how to talk about this as well.
Your mates, or, well, Maliki, maybe, would be better at explaining it?
” She frowns. “Assuming Hades has told him. Um. Do you plan to…?”
I stare at my sister, unsure of what she’s trying to ask me. “Do I plan to ask him about it?”
“About seeing you through it, yeah, that’s what I’m asking. Or maybe you don’t know yet. And that’s fine. But I would… you should at least talk to him. Or them. Or…” She closes her eyes. “I’m not very good at this, am I?”
“Well, it’s not like we’ve ever talked about sex before, so.”
Her dark lashes flash open when I say sex. “Serapina.”
“What? That’s what we’re talking about, right? I’m going to go into heat and have sex. And maybe get pregnant.” My eyes widen again. “Oh, thorns. I’m going to have a baby!”
I palm my belly.
I realized this the other day.
But it… it still shocks me.
“I’m not ready.” I don’t want a family yet. Or I don’t think I do, anyway. I don’t even have mates. Or a mate, singular.
Except Hades. Kind of.
I frown. “Did Hades and Persephone have a baby?”
“No,” Morpheus says softly, clearly listening to our conversation. Or maybe it’s because I squealed the question so loudly that he chose to answer it. “Alphas can control procreation during a heat. It isn’t easy, but it can be done.”
“Persephone never wanted a child?” Alina asks, sounding surprised.
Morpheus angles his head toward her and lifts his hand to shield his eyes as he opens them to look at her. “Apparently not.”
My sister stares at him. “Oh. I… I thought all Omegas valued the creation of life.”
He glances at me before refocusing on her. “Some are not ready, as Serapina has mentioned. And a good Alpha knows how to respect an Omega’s choice.”
A tremble works through me at his words. Morpheus is a good Alpha, some part of me acknowledges. A very good Alpha.
He hasn’t pressured me into anything at all, just treated me respectfully and with care.
“Alina,” a deep voice murmurs as Orcus mists onto the beach with a very awake Thea in his arms. The little one takes one look at her mom and releases a bellow that has Orcus wincing. “Our daughter is hungry.”
“And demanding food,” Alina replies, clearly amused. She sets her drink to the side and stands. “Sorry, Sera. I—”
“It’s okay,” I interject as Thea grows louder. “Go take care of your precious one.”
Alina was in the process of taking the baby into her arms when I spoke, but looks at me with intrigue.